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Cathay
Cathay (also known as Imperial Cathay , the Empire of the Celestial Dragon , the Kingdom of the Dragon , Grand Cathay , Great Cathay , Grand Empire of Cathay and the Celestial Empire ) is a populous nation of humans located in the Far East of the world, beyond the Dark Lands and the Mountains of Mourn. To the north, with the Great Bastion as border, lie the Eastern Steppes and the Hung and Kurgan territories within the Chaos Wastes. To the east are the island realm of Nippon and the Far Sea, and beyond that the Boiling Sea and Naggaroth. To the south are the Kingdoms of Ind and the Hinterlands of Khuresh. Overview Past the Worlds Edge Mountains and across the Great Skull Lands, on the other side of the Mountains of Mourn and the vast steppes, begin the uncharted lands. Only a single path travels to the east, known as the Silk Road. It runs through the untamed steppes until its destination, the fabled kingdom of Cathay. The lure of the Silk Road is great to the merchant houses of Tilea and the Burgomeisters of the Empire, as well as the traders of Araby. But the road is far from safe: roving bandits, steppe nomads, and the vast Hobgoblin hordes of Hobgobla-Khan who rule the steppes are an ever-present threat, and one that cannot be taken too lightly. Only one caravan out of ten makes the trip safely. The travellers that return from Cathay tell tales of great golden pagodas and the inexhaustible armies of the eastern despots. They bring exotic spices and finest silks, gleaming gold, luxurious porcelain vases and all manner of strange and wonderful items from the Kingdom of the Dragon, glimpses of the mysterious glory of the distant and rich orient. They also bring tales of jade cities and high temples where mystics probe the movements of the heavenly bodies and the positions of the stars, of the scholars who inscribe every word ever uttered by their divine Emperor. Many strange creatures are said to live in the land of Cathay, from serpentine dragons to gigantic living stone dogs which guard the temples of the multitudinous gods of Cathay. Records of travellers tell of the thousand, thousand footsoldiers of the Emperor, the mystic brotherhoods of monks who can kill you with a touch of their hand, and the strange monkey warriors living high in the Mountains of Heaven. Most of these tales are highly fanciful, but certainly the Empire of the Celestial Dragon must be a wondrous and rich place, but until the trade routes to the east are safe it will remain a realm of legend. Cities Not much is known about the population hubs of Cathay - some describe them as jade cities , while forts take the form of tall pagodas, rising up tier upon tier on a massive stone foundation . * Wei-jin or Weijin - This great city, located on the eastern side of the Great Bastion according to some maps , has an underground Skaven lair (most likely Eshin), which was spied by Tilean explorer Marco Polare in 1247 IC. It is the Seat of the Dragon Throne and capital of the empire. Reputed to be the greatest city in the world, it is home to such wonders as the Paradise Gardens, the Temple of the Two Moons and the mystical River of Souls, said to allow passage to the underworld. * Beichai - In this city the aristocracy fell under the sway of Chi'an Chi (Tzeentch) around -1200 IC. It isn't known whether this cult is still allowed. * Fu-Chow - Here captain Yin-Tuan had an Imperial Dragon tattooed on his back at an opium house. * Fu-Hung - In this place (likely a monastery) live chanting monks. * Khairith Irlean - This unfortunate port, known in Druchii Eltharin as Khairith Irlean, "the Place of a Thousand Bloody Delights", was encircled by Dark Elves and assaulted by Witch Elves. When the armies of the Dragon Emperor arrived, the Dark Elves had already returned to sea. In their wake, they left a town empty but for heaps of dismembered and charred corpses, writhing with flies and disease. The stones of the buildings were stained red with blood. So disturbing was the scene that the town was razed utterly and all mention of it was stricken from maps and records. * Mount Li - Here stands another monastery, where Yin-Tuan retired as an aged sage after serving as commander of the Palace Guard and wrote down the story of his journey through Lustria and the Southlands. * Shang-Yang - This is the westernmost Cathayan fortress. Since Ricco and Robbio's expedition's arrival in 1699 IC a mercantile quarter exists here to house Old Worlder caravans and merchants. * Tower of Ashshair - A watchtower and outpost of far Cathay amid the Stone Lands to the northwest. This jade-green tower - a thing as much of magic as stone - sits high and all but unassailable upon a jagged promontory of rock overlooking the ancient Silk Road that leads from the gates of the Great Bastion to the south-east, and the inhospitable mountain passes of the Ogre Kingdoms to the west. From here the servants of the Eternal Dragon Emperor surveyed the great road and kept watch for signs and portents of woe and threats from distant lands. It was unsuccessfully attacked around 2509 IC by Sayl the Faithless, a Tzeentchite Chaos Sorcerer under the orders of Tamurkhan the Maggot Lord . * Nan Gau - Nothing is known of this city, other than it appears on the western side of the Great Bastion in the same maps as Wei-jin. Known fauna In Cathay there are bears not unlike those of the Old World and the New World - large, powerful beasts whose skins are prized by all races. In the depths of the forests there are also boars. Giant Leeches can be found in the jungles , and Giant Spiders in the forests . Wolves have been nearly exterminated , while horses are domesticated in north and east Cathay . Leopards and panthers live in the Southlands and parts of western Cathay, whilst tigers are exclusive to the Far East . Some Griffons and Hippogryphs have been sighted in Cathay too . Many legends talk about several dozen Dragons living in Cathay, but their description varies greatly - some say they are serpentine , others mention bejewelled Gold Dragons . There are even tales that tell their Dragon Emperor is actually an immortal Dragon in human shape , and the Shugengan wizards are described as "Dragon-blooded" . Another magical beast typical of Cathay and the Far East is the Ki-rin, flying unicorns with long, flowing manes spun with sparks of silver lightning that ride the roaring winds and storm clouds, bellowing and screaming great cracks of lightning through the disturbed air. They are occasionally ridden by powerful heroes. There are also Jade Lions, which are revered for their courage and level-headedness. Occasionally a warrior may be found carrying the likeness of one of these as an amulet, and they still contain some of their power, although showing cowardice will cause the magic to depart. Timeline (Imperial Calendar) * '-2750' - A titanic warpstone meteorite plummets from the sky above for Cathay slams into the homelands of the Ogre tribes preying upon that great nation. Hundreds of thousands of Ogres die in the ensuing impact. When the dust clears, a great fang-lined maw hundreds of leagues across dominates the lands all about. Some scholars believe the terrible disaster that befell the Ogres was due to the displeasure of the Chaos Gods, others that the Ogres had preyed too long on the children of the Cathayan empire and that the astromancers of that land took their revenge. * '-1800' - The Dragon Emperor unites the entire civilisation of Grand Cathay in a great task that is to change the destiny of his nation forever. The Great Bastion, also known as the Dragon's Spine, is completed in under a century - an impenetrable fortress wall, a quarter of a mile high, that spans league upon league across the border of Cathay. In this way Cathay protects itself from Chaos invasion. * '-1666' - The Worlds Edge Mountains are riven by earthquakes, sending much of the Dwarf empire into jeopardy. At the same time, sections of the Great Bastion collapse, allowing rampaging northern tribes to spill into Cathay. * ca -1450 to -1400 - The wandering clans establish the first Skaven strongholds in the areas later known as Troll Country, the Southlands, Araby and the Dark Lands. Lord Visktrin, mortally injured by a Dragon in the Mountains of Mourn, instructs Clan Eshin to establish their stronghold in far Cathay. Their arrival is described in Cathay as if they had been vomited out from the gigantic maw of the Great Black Dragon that lives coiled inside the earth. * '-1200' - The cult of Chi'an Chi (known to the mortals of the Old World as Tzeentch) gains favour amongst the aristocracy of Beichai in far Cathay. * '-1163 to -1152' - Nagash declares war upon the Priest Kings of Nehekhara. Alongside other foul creatures, the Vampires lead Nagash's armies. The Priest Kings are united under King Alcadizaar the Conqueror, and his formidable leadership defeats Nagash's first assault. The Vampire W'soran stays with Nagash and dares his wrath, whilst the other Vampires flee to escape the Great Necromancer's anger. Maatmeses, the very fat and very corrupt chief justice of Lahmia, and Harakhte, the brilliant and sinister court vizier of Neferata, vanished out of history, though there are rumours of Vampires in far Cathay and the Southlands who may be of their lost bloodlines. Many centuries later, Marco Polare’s writings of Cathay included legends of immortal eunuch sorcerers that drink the souls of men, who perhaps are the children of Maatmeses or Harakhte. * '-87' - Dark Elf Black Arks start raiding the coasts of the eastern lands. * ca 500 - Assassin-adepts of the Clan Eshin return from Cathay to work for the Council of the Thirteen Lords of Decay. Many clans are quickly brought to heel by the assassination of their Warlords, and the civil war between the Council and the Plague Lords of Clan Pestilens grinds to a halt. Some sources claim this happened circa 100 IC. * 699 - Representatives of the Phoenix King Aethis arrive in Cathay. They return laden with silk, jade and spices. Trade between east and west begins to flourish. * 702 - Some Ogres travel to the far east where they learn that the great horned trophies worn on many of their helmets are highly valued in far off lands. The resultant transaction gives a new name to the road to the east - the Ivory Road. * 860 - The Black Ark Talon of Agony is overturned and sunk by a gigantic magical tidal wave off the coast of Cathay. * 1103 - Laithikir Fellheart shadows High Elf fleets around Cathay and Nippon and begins a century of merciless raids that see the Fellheart family rise to great power. With her charts, other Dark Elf fleets maraud with much success along the rich coasts of Ind and Cathay. * 1247 - Tilean explorer Marco Polare reaches Cathay, and writes of spying the Skaven under the great city of Wei-jin. * 1310 - A series of earthquakes cause part of the Great Bastion of Cathay to collapse. A truly colossal invasion ensues as scores of the battle-hungry Kurgan tribes that roam the steppes flood into that rich and ancient empire. Hordes of Chaos Warriors battle legions of terracotta automatons attempting to shore up the Great Wall with their own clay bodies, mutated War Mammoths gore and trample whole regiments of one-horned Ogres, and in the skies above Daemon Princes duel with bejewelled Gold Dragons. The Cathayans ultimately blunt the invasion, but not before the Chaos horde has carved a bloody path into the heartland of the orient. * ca 1690 - Emperor Wu launches a great invasion fleet to conquer the Southlands, but it is destroyed by two typhoons. Cathayan Yin-Tuan, having lost his course, makes an epic journey across Lustria and the Southlands. He narrowly escapes sacrifice in Zlatlan, and is the only survivor of the whole expedition. * 1699 - Ricco and Robbio trek east along the Silk Road and are received at the court of Emperor Wu of Cathay. * 2377 - The Monkey King seizes power in Cathay. He installs Warlord Kishkik of Clan Eshin as an advisor, and begins trade with the Skaven Under-Empire. * ca 2509 - Tamurkhan the Maggot Lord marches south along the eastern side of the Mountains of Mourn in order to recruit followers to invade the Empire from the Border Princes. Before reaching the Ogre Kingdoms, his lieutenant Sayl the Faithless attacks the Tower of Ashshair and is defeated. By this time there is again a Dragon Emperor in power. Contacts with other races and nations Chaos Cathay maintains hostile relations with the Forces of Chaos that roam the Eastern Steppes to the north since at least -1800 IC, when the Dragon Emperor united Cathay and built the Great Bastion to stop their invasions . This great fortress has been breached at least twice. In the 15th century before the founding of the Empire in the Old World, the adjustments of the tectonic plates by the Slann and the explosion of a great machine in Skavenblight caused earthquakes across the world, breaching many Dwarf holds in the Worlds Edge Mountains and toppling sections of the Great Bastion, allowing rampaging northern tribes to spill into Cathay . Much later, in 1310 IC, a series of earthquakes caused part of the Great Bastion to collapse, and a truly colossal invasion ensued as scores of the battle-hungry Kurgan tribes that roamed the steppes flooded into that rich and ancient empire. Hordes of Chaos Warriors battled legions of terracotta automatons attempting to shore up the Great Wall with their own clay bodies, mutated War Mammoths gore and trample whole regiments of one-horned Ogres, and in the skies above Daemon Princes duel with bejewelled Gold Dragons. The Cathayans ultimately blunted the invasion, but not before the Chaos horde had carved a bloody path into the heartland of the orient. The Cathayans' position on the Chaos Gods' worship isn't clear, although it is known that in -1200 the cult of Tzeentch (known as Chi'an Chi in Cathay) gained favour amongst the aristocracy of Beichai. The Beastmen of the Mountains of Mourn are known to fight both the armies of the Ogre Kingdoms and Cathay, and several fortresses keep watch on any armies approaching from the north, such as the Tower of Ashshair. Ogres Maneater dressed as an Eastern warrior.]] Many thousands of years ago, the Ogres lived far to the east of the Mountains of Mourn, in the great sweeping steppes on the borders of far Cathay. Their homelands were fertile and rolling grasslands spread from horizon to horizon, with grazing gnubeast and lumbering yak providing an ever-replenishing supply of fresh meat. With no natural barriers to divide their kingdoms, the majority of the Ogre tribes lived as nomads, trading almost as often as fighting. The great secret of fire was passed to them by their Cathayan neighbours, who in return begun to recruit the more intelligent Ogres into the Grand Imperial Army. Tribe upon tribe prowled the rolling steppes as their numbers grew. However, the barbarian Ogre civilisation prospered to such an extent that Ogre raids soon begun to stray into Cathay itself, preying on the simple peasant children working in the rice fields. Before long many Ogres had acquired a taste for Cathayan flesh. This was something which His Most Excellent Majesty Xen Huong, Celestial Dragon Emperor of the Imperial Palace of Grand Cathay, took a very dim view of indeed. Whether Xen Huong's coven of ancient astromancers had anything to do with the catastrophe that befell the Ogres remains speculation, but not too long after the children of that land began to go missing and bloodied bones littered the paddy fields, a great burning light appeared in the sky. It increased in brightness and size with every passing day until eclipsed even the great spheres of Morrslieb and Mannslieb. Over the weeks, it grew to be a baleful, glowering orb that crackled and spat above the plains, turning night into day and driving the wildlife of the steppes mad with fear. A corona of sickly green light came into focus around the comet as it grew ever closer, and fanciful observers even claimed that this new celestial body had a face, or more accurately, a mouth. One sweltering night of -2750 IC , the comet slammed into the Ogre homelands with such force that it was felt on the other side of the world. All life around it boiled away in an instant; two-thirds of the Ogre population were annihilated as the steppes liquefied under the hammerblow of an angry god. The raging, blinding firestorms that followed the comet's fall incinerated everything for miles around. Had there been any survivors left to peer into the massive crater left by the comet's descent, they would have seen that the comet had not stopped on contact but instead burrowed deep into the heart of the world. For the devastated tribes of the Ogres, the worst was yet to come. Their verdant homelands had been reduced to a searing desert of howling sandstorms and baleful energies that stripped the skin from their bones. Other than the remnants of the Ogre population, only a few species of insect had the resilience to survive the disaster, and starvation quickly set in. The surviving tribes degenerated into cannibalism, falling upon each other in fear and hunger as the drought and lack of food gnawed away at their once-full bellies. To the Ogres it seemed that a vengeful deity had fallen upon them, consuming all before it; a Great Maw that existed purely to feed. Thus the insatiable and merciless god of the Ogres was born. The strongest and hardiest Ogres, even after having eaten their weaker brethren, found that the gnawing hunger visited upon them at the time of the Great Maw's landing would not leave. No longer able to cross into Cathay due to the poisonous desolation left in the comet's wake, the majority of the survivors migrated into the mountain ranges to the west in search of new homelands and respite from the great drought. However, one of the oldest legends tells of Groth Onefinger, who led his tribe further into the deadly desert with the intention of offering sacrifice to this new and powerful god. What he found has since been depicted on a thousand gut-plates and banners, and is forever etched into the legends of the Ogre race. Before Groth stretched a gigantic, gaping crater the size of an inland sea, filled with ridge upon ridge of jagged teeth and rippling, convulsing muscle that stretched down and down into nothingness; a gullet so huge it could swallow a race like the Ogres and still hunger for more. It exists there even now, a vile, pulsing god visited upon the face of the world by the vengeful heavens. Nevertheless, millennia later Ogres still serve in the Cathayan armies as Maneaters, wearing fine cloth under lacquered bamboo armour and wielding finely balanced Cathayan longswords, master-crafted blades that are of great value to the Ogres because they will remain eternally sharp. With the strength of an Ogre behind them, these blades can cause one hell of a mess. One famous mercenary in Cathay was Bannaga, a deaf Butcher who owned the Bangstick. In 702 IC, some Ogres travelled to the far east where they learn that the great horned trophies worn on many of their helmets were highly valued in far off lands. The resultant transaction gave a new name to the road to the east - the Ivory Road. In 1310 IC, the armies that confronted the Chaos invasion were said to include whole regiments of one-horned Ogres , but it is unclear whether this refers to a new breed of Ogres, or maybe to horned helmets. Nippon Not much is known of the relationship between Cathay and the island nation of Nippon to the east, although it is also described as an ordered civilisation. The Cathayan armies are said to be exceptionally powerful in order to deal not only with Hobgoblins and Chaos Marauders, but also the might of the island race of Nippon. Skaven The first Skaven to arrive to Cathay, believed there to have been vomited out from the gigantic maw of the Great Black Dragon that lives coiled inside the earth , belonged to Clan Eshin. This clan had been led eastwards through the Dark Lands by Lord Visktrin, who died around -1450 or -1400 IC after battling against a Dragon in the Mountains of Mourn and charged his successor with establishing a stronghold further east, and so passed beyond the knowledge of the rest of the Under-Empire and reached Cathay. When its members returned to Skavenblight they were changed. During that long period in contact with the mysterious human cultures of Ind, Cathay and Nippon, the Skaven had learned much, specially about the arts of stealth and assassination. Around 500 IC, the assassin-adepts of Clan Eshin returned from Cathay during the First Skaven Civil War. For nearly 400 years the Skaven had remained divided: the north faction, led by the Council of Thirteen and the south, by the Plague Lords of Clan Pestilens. Many clans stood apart, joining sides with whoever had the upper hand. Plagues, sorcery, and double-crossings were rife, but the war remained locked in stalemate. The deadlock was broken when the black-clad assassins of Clan Eshin pledged allegiance to the Council of Thirteen, and the heads of Warlords, rebellious Chieftains, and Plague Lords themselves began to regularly disappear. Support swiftly eroded for Clan Pestilens. Realising their position was becoming untenable, the Plague Lords requested a parley, and Lord Nurglitch won a place in the Council, thus ending the war. The Eshin's relations with Cathay and the rest of eastern nations aren't clear. By 1247 IC a Tilean explorer, Marco Polare, reached Cathay and wrote of spying the Skaven under the great city of Wei-jin , but in 2377 the Monkey King seized power, installed Warlord Kishkik of Clan Eshin as an advisor, and began trade with the Skaven Empire . It is unlikely this state of affairs goes on to this day, since apparently Cathay is again ruled by the Dragon Emperors, but there is no clear evidence to the contrary either. The Eshin Assassins are rightly feared by those who know of them. They are trained from birth as quick, murderous fighters adept in the use of exotic weapons. Most Clan Eshin weapons are forged with warpstone so that they constantly weep a potent corrosive venom. Much of the Assasins' training hones their already fast Skaven reflexes to unparalleled heights, enabling them to perform incredible feats like leaping many times their own height into the air, running as fast as a galloping horse or climbing sheer surfaces. Given that the Great Maze of tunnels connecting the whole Under-Empire spans the whole world, their agents can cross from Nippon to the Old World in less than six months. The Skaven of Clan Eshin act as secret police and enforcers for the Council of Thirteen. If the Lords of Decay decide a Warlord or a Grey Seer is no longer loyal, Assassins of Clan Eshin are set on their trail, maintaining the Council's rule through murder and terror. Assassins are also dispatched to slay leaders and champions of opposing armies or to sabotage the defences of towns and cities by poisoning water supplies, setting fires, murdering civic dignitaries, stirring up the rat packs and spreading disease. In pitched battles Assassins often disguise themselves and lurk in the ranks of ordinary Skaven until they have an opportunity to strike at enemy leaders or heroes in the confusion of combat. The mainstay warriors of Clan Eshin are the Night Runners. What differentiates these expendable foot soldiers from other Clanrats is that they receive rudimentary training in the fighting styles learned from distant Cathay. Faster than the ordinary Clanrat, they kill quickly so they can move on to eliminate the next foes. Those Night Runners who prove their mettle sometimes rise to become Gutter Runners. Only those Gutter Runners who excel in their trade can ever hope to be indoctrinated into the highest secrets of the Cathayan fighting arts. While still burdened by the typical Skaven outlook, Master Assassins are more patient, centred, and ruthless than their brethren. They can kill with a touch, are masters of countless weapons, and can slip in and out of some of the most heavily guarded strongholds unseen. The mysterious and clandestine Clan Eshin have some tools of war that their agents alone bear into battle: Warpstone stars are wickedly sharp throwing stars coated with a deadly warp poison, an infernal bomb is an iron-clad, explosive device that uses cogs and gears to delay a blast of hellish energy, and a high-ranking member of Clan Eshin is likely to carry smoke bombs for diversions. When smashed, a dark and almost sentient smoke curls out and attempts to force its way into the lungs of any nearby. The Art of the Silent Death wasn’t the only thing Clan Eshin brought back when they returned from Cathay. A few Skaven delved into the black arts of magic. Blending what they already knew of the warp with the techniques used by Cathayan sorcerers, they developed a new lore, one that serves to enhance their Clan’s power and mystique - the Lore of Stealth. These spells are designed to augment the stealth, speed, and strength of the Clan’s attack forces, and none are quite sure whether Clan Eshin Skaven’s legendary skills have ever been completely mundane. Clan Eshin guards the secrets of this art to ensure that none of the rival Clans learn the answer. Eshin Sorcerers are mysterious, rare, and keep to themselves; they are well aware that the Grey Seers brook no competition from other Skaven spellcasters. Greenskins Cathay is dominated by humans, although remoter areas are still under the control of greenskins, especially Hobgoblins. Hobgoblins are common in the Dark Lands, where goblinoids are the dominant species. They are also fairly widespread throughout the Eastern Steppes, where they lead nomadic lives hunting and herding cattle. Hobgoblins do not commonly live in underground settlements, although a few do inhabit the goblinoid dwellings of the Mountains of Mourn and the Worlds Edge Mountains. In the steppes they live from horseback, or in large, heavy covered wagons. In Cathay, they are the most common goblinoid type, more so even than Goblins. There are few Goblins in the Steppes or Cathay, areas where Hobgoblins are more dominant. 'Lesser Goblins' (perhaps another name for Gnoblars) are said to live alongside ordinary Goblins and inhabit the same geographic areas. The notable exceptions are in eastern Cathay, where ordinary Goblins are rare, but these smaller creatures are more common. Since the arrival of Ricco and Robbio to Cathay a mercantile quarter has flourished in Shang-Yang which is the westernmost of the Cathayan fortress towns on the Silk Road. This is the name by which the trade route to Cathay opened up by these Tilean merchants has become known. Trading caravans go along this route very rarely and only a few reach their destination due to the terrible hazards of the journey and the scourge of the Hobgobla Khan and his great horde which, when all his loyal tribes are drawn up for battle, is said to extend from horizon to horizon. The mercenaries in Shang-Yang have become 'guests' of the Emperor of Cathay and valued warriors in his service. The Emperor uses these troops to help defend his western frontier against the wrath of Hobgobla Khan. Of course by doing this, the Tileans serve their own interests by keeping open the Silk Road. There is, however, a region that even the Hobgoblin Khans avoid. Beyond the Mountains of Mourn and between the trackless steppe lie many forgotten and savage lands whose names and inhabitants are nothing more than dark myth to the peoples of the Old World. This is a barren and masterless realm, an expanse of bleak and fog-shrouded wilderness, spirit-haunted fens and shattered cities - a howling, desolate place saturated with the darkest magics, where the malice of dread souls and the whispers of Daemons hold more sway over the land than sanity and mundane geography, and travellers can become unutterably lost as the very land around them shifts with malignant intelligence and entities older than the fall of the Old Ones slumber beneath their black sands. It is a place where the Winds of Magic are drawn to swirl and eddy invisible, and great and terrible storms of magic rip unexpectedly into being, bringing further literal chaos, sending forests crawling across the landscape like damned souls, and upending mountains to drift through the hurricane-wracked air as reality liquefies and remakes itself in twisted new patterns. It is little wonder then that even the mighty Ogres of the west and the treacherous Hobgoblin hordes of the east avoid these shunned lands where they can, ignorant of their true nature, but not the evil that dwells within them. High Elves In 699 IC, representatives of Phoenix King Aethis the Poet made contact with the old human empire of Cathay and visited the court of the Dragon Emperor. They returned laden with silk, jade and spices - which became valued commodities in Ulthuan, and trade between east and west began to flourish. Dark Elves In -238 IC, the great Dark Elf Shade Kaledor Maglen discovered and explored the Black Way, a route through the water-filled caverns of the Underworld Sea that allows Druchii Black Arks to pass below the Black Spine Mountains to the Broken Lands and the Boiling Sea on the west coast of the New World. Although evidence has been found pointing to the existence of some lost race living there underground, the Naggarothi care little about them, and instead are happy to use the Underworld Sea to gain access to the lands of Nippon and Cathay which lie beyond the Far Sea. Although Black Arks started crossing the Boiling Sea and raiding the oriental lands of the farthest east in -87 IC, for the Dark Elves these were uncharted territories and for each fleet that returned with prizes and slaves, half a dozen came back to Naggaroth in failure. The most notable successes were by Laithikir Fellheart, latest in a long line of Black Ark commanders and as cunning a she-Elf as was ever born. By 1103 IC, Laithikir had learnt to follow the High Elf ships, her Black Ark swathed in shadow and storm, tracking their ever-increasing journeys to the lands of the orient. By shadowing the fleets of Ulthuan, she was able to raid the busy seaports and convoys that traded with the High Elves in Ind and Cathay. As word of her success grew, Laithikir sold her charts to other captains, and within a decade dozens of Dark Elf fleets were attacking the settlements of the mysterious far east and bringing back tens of thousands of slaves and holds full of exotic wares such as witch jade, ivory, tigerfire, silk and spices. Ever-eager to show off their wealth and power, the Dark Elves prized these stolen wares highly and their value soared. Competition for the Witch King's permission to raid these lands fuelled a period of infighting and politicking that saw Malekith's coffers swell with gold and silver. In 860, the Black Ark Talon of Agony was overturned and sunk by a gigantic magical tidal wave off the coast of Cathay. At one unfortunate port, the Dark Elves encircled the town and barred all escape, before the Witch Elves were unleashed to wreak havoc within the walls. The Khainites named the town Khairith Irlean - the Place of a Thousand Bloody Delights. When the armies of the Dragon Emperor arrived, the Dark Elves had already returned to sea. In their wake, they left a town empty but for heaps of dismembered and charred corpses, writhing with flies and disease. The stones of the buildings were stained red with blood. So disturbing was the scene that the town was razed utterly and all mention of it was stricken from maps and records. Lizardmen By 1690 IC, the Cathayans didn't know about the existence of Lustria, and had only heard vague references to a mysterious race of 'lizard-daemons' that lived in the Southlands. In this year, Dragon Emperor Wu of the Wu Dynasty launched an invasion fleet to conquer the regions of that continent that weren't under Arabyan or Undead control in order to take the spice trade from Arabyan hands. His huge fleet, however, was struck by a typhoon soon after its departure, with several ships straying off course. One of these was Yin-Tuan's, which reached the western coast of the Lustrian isthmus of Pahuax, which is the narrow stretch of land which joins the continents of Lustria and Naggaroth. His party would have passed perhaps as close as within one or two hundred miles of the Norse colony of Skeggi and even closer to the Lizardmen city of Pahuax. Yin-Tuan of course had no idea that these places existed. Believing they were on the western side of the Southlands, his men crossed the rainforests, clashing with Skinks and Kroxigor only after stealing seven gold plaques from a ruined temple-city. After returning them and arriving without further harm to the Great Ocean, they built a new ship and attempted again to reach the Southlands. The prevailing winds and currents carried Yin-Tuan far to the south of Ulthuan, and blew him towards the coast of the Southlands. His small army decided to cross again the jungles to reach the Emperor's army, but were attacked and defeated by Saurus Warriors. All the survivors were sacrificed, save for Yin-Tuan, whose Imperial Dragon tattoo on the back reminded the Skink Priests of Sotek. He was therefore imprisoned, but managed to escape during the night and reached a river flowing eastwards. On the eastern shores of the Southlands he found the remains of the Cathayan fleet and was rescued by Cathayan spice traders. From them he learned that the Emperor's fleet had been wrecked while at anchor by a second terrible typhoon. By that time the bulk of the remaining troops had already disembarked. The leaders decided to march inland and attempt the conquest rather than report failure to the Emperor. The survivors had marched inland and disappeared. The Emperor had therefore ordered all traders to keep watch on the coasts for any sign of their banners. Yin-Tuan was the only survivor of that mighty expedition to be found alive. It is quite possible that the Slann Mage-Priests with their arcane power to influence the geography of the world, brought about the two disastrous typhoons which destroyed the Cathayan fleet. One typhoon struck as the fleet set out, the other as it lay at anchor. The Slann would have needed no advance warning of the invasion. They would have acted according to the predictions of the Old Ones. Thus the typhoons would with uncanny accuracy coincide with the Emperor of Cathay's attempted invasion. It is possible that only one typhoon was required according to the predictions of the Old Ones, but that two opposing schools of thought among the Mage-Priests of different cities resulted in two typhoons separated by several weeks. Araby Not much is known of the relationship between Cathay and Araby, other than the aforementioned rivalry over the spice trade. By 1690 IC, several Cathayan traders, such as the Tei-Pings, plied the maritime route between Cathay and Araby. Dragon Emperor Wu attempted to gain supremacy by conquering the mysterious regions of the Southlands where spices were harvested, but had not reckoned upon encountering a powerful and flourishing Lizardman realm there, nor upon the Slann's massive magical powers - which sunk his fleet with two mighty typhoons. Old World 'Marco Polare' In 1247 IC, Tilean explorer Marco Polare reached Cathay, and wrote of spying the Skaven under the great city of Wei-jin. His writings of Cathay included legends of immortal eunuch sorcerers that drank the souls of men, who perhaps were the Vampire children of Maatmeses or Harakhte. 'Ricco and Robbio: the Silk Road' However, these accounts appear to have been forgotten, lost, or at least not widely known by 1699, since other Tilean traders didn't know what lay beyond the Worlds Edge Mountains and the Dark Lands. In that year, the brothers Ricco and Robbio, Tilean merchants in Karaz-a-Karak, bought a tattered but exceptionally fine silk banner from some Dwarf adventurers who had been far to the east. They claimed to have captured it from a band of Hobgoblins. The banner bore the symbol of a Dragon, and the Dwarfs, not bothered about keeping what they believed to be an Elf banner, were eager to sell it for gold. The significance of the banner was not lost on Ricco and Robbio. If it was an Elf banner captured by the Hobgoblins, it could be the answer to a question which had been vexing the minds of many Tilean merchants: was it possible to get to Ulthuan by going eastwards as an overland route instead of sailing westwards over the sea? If such a thing were possible, it could mean that Ulthuan was at the eastern end of the great Old World continent. It would also mean that the world was round and not flat as most people believed. Elf seafarers had never revealed much about Ulthuan. The Norse seemed to think it was an island. Marco Colombo in his writings speculated as to whether it was an island or a peninsula of a great northern continent attached to Lustria. He believed, as did many others, that only this could explain where the Dark Elves came from and why they fought against the High Elves. Ricco and Robbio suspected that if they journeyed far enough to the east they would either arrive in Ulthuan, or maybe even Lustria, or on the far coast of the Old World continent opposite Ulthuan. Unfortunately this coast might be held by Dark Elves. The fine workmanship of the silk banner and its Dragon motif suggested a High Elf origin, so perhaps it had been lost in battle with the Dark Elves and captured by Hobgoblin lackeys in their employ. Ricco and Robbio scoured the Dwarf strongholds of the Worlds Edge Mountains seeking more artefacts of Elven workmanship which had come out of the east. They acquired a small hoard of objects including scrolls bearing what appeared to be Elven writing, weapons, and silks which Dwarf traders were pleased to sell for gold. The two brothers returned to their home city of Verezzo and tried to raise funds for an expedition into the east. Their intention was to find an overland route to Ulthuan and possibly even Lustria. This would avoid the hazards of a long sea voyage and show the High Elves that they might rule the seas but not the land. Also it would enable Verezzo to get one up on her trading rivals in Remas, which was enjoying a monopoly on the western sea trade at this time. The Prince of Verezzo was very enthusiastic and all the Merchant Princes of the city followed his example. Merchants from Luccini, Miragliano, and Pavona also contributed to the enterprise. It was decided that the expedition was so dangerous that only a powerful armed force could be expected to fight its way across the continent. Therefore a great mercenary army was gathered, led by the best mercenary commanders of the day. Furthermore, there was a large civilian contingent of merchants, artisans, craftsmen and others, together with their wives and camp followers. The baggage train stretched for over a mile. The intention was to set up a trading post as far east as possible. As the expedition passed through the lands of the Border Princes it gathered further contingents motivated by a sense of adventure. When it reached the Dwarf Kingdom, several Dwarf contingents joined the column, notably Slayers, attracted by the generally held belief that the expedition was doomed. In 1699 the expedition, now numbering over a thousand Tileans and various other mercenaries, left Karaz-a-Karak for the east, travelling up the Worlds Edge Mountains to the Road of Skulls and beyond. It was many years before anyone in Tilea heard of the fate of the expedition or what they had discovered. Then in 1714 a merchant caravan of pack yaks arrived at Verezzo, laden down with bundles of silk. With the bales of silk came a message from Ricco and Robbio explaining they were now residing in the westernmost outpost of the Empire of Cathay. It was now clear that there was no eastern route to Ulthuan or Lustria. The world was indeed flat and much much larger than anyone could have imagined. Instead of Elves, the Tileans had encountered an entirely unknown realm. Indeed it was a populous empire of vast extent and unimaginable wealth. Apparently Ricco and Robbio had not been permitted to enter the Empire of Cathay because, as the Cathayans had politely explained, they were hairy and uncouth barbarians. However, the Dragon Emperor Wu had been intrigued by these strangers. He had been delighted with the return of the banner of his Palace Guard and was gratified to receive the submission and tribute of the entire land of Tilea - which was a ruse pulled by the cunning Ricco and Robbio in order to avoid being summarily beheaded. The Emperor had agreed to hire the entire expedtion having been impressed by a battle in which the mercenaries had held off a Cathayan army which, although small by Cathayan standards had in fact outnumbered the Tileans by about three to one. Since that time a mercantile quarter has flourished in Shang-Yang which is the westernmost of the Cathayan fortress towns on the Silk Road. This is the name by which the trade route to Cathay, opened up by Ricco and Robbio has become known. Trading caravans go along this route very rarely and only a few reach their destination due to the terrible hazards of the journey and the scourge of the Hobgobla Khan and his great horde which, when all his loyal tribes are drawn up for battle, is said to extend from horizon to horizon. The mercenaries in Shang-Yang have become 'guests' of the Emperor of Cathay and valued warriors in his service. The Emperor uses these troops to help defend his western frontier against the wrath of Hobgobla Khan. Of course by doing this, the Tileans serve their own interests by keeping open the Silk Road. 'The Ivory Road' Another name for this route is the Ivory Road, although it's not clear whether there are differences between Ricco's and Robbio's path and this one. Nevertheless, it is often said to be the only traversable way from the Old World through the hazards of the East and into the heartlands of Grand Cathay, and even then the journey is fraught with peril. The caravans that travel it are almost like nomadic towns; such is their scale that a Great Caravan can reach a full mile in length. They are heavily defended, as they have to travel through some of the most dangerous and hostile areas on the face of the world. Caravans are regularly beset by marauding wolf riders, Chaos Dwarfs, Skaven, Giants, Goblins, Ogres, Black Orcs, cave-beasts, Hobgoblins, giant scorpions and dark things that stalk the shadows in the moonlight. As a result, a caravan will typically employ whole families of Ogre mercenaries to act as caravan guards. The Ivory Road passes from various cities of the Old World through the Worlds Edge Mountains, past the Dwarfen hold of Karak Drazh and along Death Pass. It winds through the treacherous, haunted mountains until they pan out into the Dark Lands, where it passes to the north of the Goblin-infested Mount Grimfang and angles north-east towards the Howling Wastes. In the midst of this realm stand the gigantic standing stones known as the Sentinels. As the journey to this landmark passes through the heart of the industrial wasteland that are the Chaos Dwarf realms, only a heavily guarded caravan stands any chance of arriving in one piece. The Sentinels act as a trading post for rhinoxen, furs, provisions and other equipment necessary for a sustained trek through the mountains and a caravan will often change guard in this location before heading off on the next leg of its journey. From the Sentinels, the Ivory Road forks, with the main road continuing east, and the secondary road - the Spice Route - travelling south to the trading settlement of Pigbarter at the mouth of the polluted River Ruin. This is by far the safer route, for once a traveller has made his way past the stinking sulphur pits of the Desolation of Azgorh, he finds himself in the wild and largely deserted homelands of the Gnoblars until he reaches civilisation, or something approaching it. The Ivory Road runs alongside one of the tributaries of the River Ruin high into the mountains. There it faces a new set of dangers, amongst them the tribes of the Ogres and their Gnoblar slaves. Bizarrely, it is the latter that pose more of a problem to the caravans: 'civilised' Ogres, and specially those under the rule of Greasus Goldtooth, have a healthy respect for the great caravans and in general will not attack them unless in direst need. Not only that, but it is easy to see an Ogre raid coming and defend accordingly. Not so with the light fingered, mean-spirited Gnoblar scrappers (often called Magpies by the caravan's staff) that seem to get just about everywhere and make off with anything they can carry for their own tiny imitation scrap-caravans. If a Great Caravan makes it through the Ogre Kingdoms, fending off predatory sabretusk packs, feral Gorgers, hungry cave bears and worse, all the while withstanding the harsh climate and sub-zero temperatures, it will eventually cross the Mountains of Mourn and emerge into the Ancient Giant Golds. The Ivory Road joins one of the mountain passes crossing through this colossal range, winding around enormous chunks of masonry that were once the foundation stones of a city of castles in the sky belonging to the Skytitans. The deserted city of megaliths is amongst the safest areas the Ivory Road passes through, as the Ancient Giant Holds are haunted by little more than shadows and movements seen out of the corner of the eye. Once the caravans have passed through the mountains and emerged on the other side, they rumble into the Baleful Deserts in the north-east of Cathay. Heavy metal screens are erected to protect against the hazards of this barren desert, and much of this period of the journey is spent sealed within the caravans. After all, almost nothing lives in the deserts aside from the odd Ogre pilgrim and the razor-limbed, black-carapaceed giant insects that burst from under the vitrified sand in showers of glass to attack unwary prey. Nonetheless, there are a host of other dangers the caravan faces on its way through the desert, and all are far more insidious. Sickness, cabin fever, starvation, dehydration, mutation and poisoning are all likely to occur as the caravan makes the last leg of its journey before desert finally turns to rice field and the caravan rumbles into Great Cathay. It is a testament to the vast riches that can be amassed by a successful caravan trading mission, or perhaps to plain human greed, that such a hazardous journey should be undertaken in the name of commerce. 'Recent relations' To this day, little is known of the East and Cathay to the scholars of the Old World, and of that most is rumour and speculation. It is a long and perilous journey to Cathay from the Old World, whether across the Dark Lands and the Mountains of Mourn, or by sea around the jungle-covered Southlands. However silks, ivory and other luxuries fetch high prices in the markets of the Old World, and so there are always those foolish or greedy enough to risk such journeys. In the Empire, the Helstorm Rocket Battery was inspired by a particularly impressive fireworks display of a Cathayan emissary to Altdorf. Early prototypes blew apart an entire floor of the Imperial Engineers School, but the soot-blackened Engineers, led by Master Engineer Herman Faulkstein, persevered and succeeded in creating a deadly, if unpredictable, weapon. Throughout the early decades of the 24th century (Imperial Calendar), Don Diego Estragon, Estalian merchant and explorer, worked to acquire a vast amount of wealth. He owned a fleet of ships that sailed the globe and regularly traded with Arabyan and Cathayan merchants and occasionally even the people and other races of Lustria. His mansion in Magritta rivalled that of the local Prince, and it is said that the man attracted as many enemies as he did sycophants and lovers. He survived many assassination attempts and many slanderous attacks on his character, including some that stated that he was secretly a mage who practiced the Dark Arts. Estragon seemed to weather all of these attacks – be they with words or swords – with grace and good humour. Though many envied his wealth, prestige, and success, few could deny that he was an affable, charismatic man whose boldness and bravado were admirable. In 2348, Estragon set off with a great fleet of ships, each loaded to the gunwales with trade goods from all over the Old World. Estragon planned to circumnavigate the globe and trade with merchants, craftsmen, and artisans of all kinds. If the trip had proved successful, Estragon would have returned with more than a king's ransom in exotic goods and could well have become the richest man in the Old World. Neither Estragon nor any of his ships or crews, however, returned from the voyage. At the time of his disappearance, he was known to possess at least two magical items from Cathay - the Cursed Chest (a box that held treasures so valuable that they could feed a nation for a year if only the curse could be lifted), and the Cathayan Robe (an enchanted garment said to increase the power of wizards who wear it). More recently, the famed Cathayan sorceror Lin Li Chun toured the Old World with her wife, stopping in L'Anguille, Marienburg, and Ubersreik. Vampires Not much is known about the presence of vampires in the Far East, but when Marco Polare reached Cathay circa 1247 IC he wrote about legends of immortal eunuch sorcerers that drank the souls of men. These could be the descendants of either Maatmeses, the very fat and very corrupt chief justice of Lahmia or Harakhte, the brilliant and sinister court vizier of Neferata. These two members of the First Children vanished out of history when Vashanesh allowed Alcadizaar the Conqueror to kill him in order to break Nagash's control over the vampires. Most believe they were killed by Nagash, but it is also possible they journeyed elsewhere and created their own lines. Military Cathayan armies are exceptionally powerful; but then they have to be, for the Cathayan fight not only against rampaging Hobgoblins, Chaos Marauders and jungle primitives, but also the might of the island race of Nippon. The north of Cathay is protected from the attacks of the Hung tribes by the Great Bastion - a massive wall that stretches for hundreds of miles, and large enough to require a garrison tens of thousands strong. The armies of Cathay are said to be innumerable, and draw exotic warriors from all across the realm, including fierce hill people, strange warrior monks and well-disciplined armies supported by heavily armoured warriors and ornate cannons. The mainstay of the Grand Imperial Army of Cathay are the numerous Bannermen, oath-sworn and stalwart warriors that wear emerald green back banners, wield long curved swords, wicked polearms and crossbows, and are famous for standing their ground however badly outnumbered. The Dragon Emperor's bodyguard, known as the Palace Guard, is known to wear lacquered scale armour and to display banners with Dragon motifs. Before the arrival of the Great Maw, the Cathayans passed the secret of fire to the nomadic tribes of Ogres, and in return begun to recruit the more intelligent Ogres into the Grand Imperial Army. Nowadays, Ogre Maneaters can fight as mercenaries in the Grand Empire of Cathay, which leads them to wear fine cloth under lacquered bamboo armour and wield finely balanced Cathayan longswords - master-crafted blades that are of great value to the Ogres because they will remain eternally sharp. With the strength of an Ogre behind them, these blades can cause one hell of a mess. Gunpowder technology is known in Cathay, and is used both in ornate, snarling-mouthed bronze cannons that shoot clusters of bronze javelins, and in enchanted fireworks of lambent green and ice white light that turn the night into a rippling phantasm of spectral figures which turn and roar in crazed display. The Cathayan fleet is known to patrol the Far Sea. Comprising of lithe war-junks and powerful turtle-ships, they protect the coasts from the enemies of their empire. Cathayan warriors (or at least their officers) study military treatises, such as Tzu-Sun's , and learn acrobatic martial arts to some degree . The Skaven of Clan Eshin learnt them too when they arrived to the Far East, as well as stealth and assassination skills. The black-clad Gutter Runners and Assassins of Clan Eshin are as stealthy as shadows. They can sprint as fast as galloping horses, skitter their way up sheer surfaces, and disappear in clouds of night-black smoke with a swirl of their garotte-lined cloaks. Of all of Clan Eshin’s warriors, though, the Adept Assassin is the most feared and reviled. These Skaven are masters in all of the techniques learnt in Cathay and bring to bear an incredible array of fighting techniques that allow them to eclipse the greatest human killers. Using a host of weapons from the throwing star and blowgun to the repeating crossbow and an arsenal of poisons, these dealers of death are blamed for the majority of suspicious murders in both Skaven and Dwarf societies, not to mention those untimely deaths in the human lands by those who do not deny the Skaven menace. They also copied craftsmanship techniques from Cathay and Nippon to make smoke bombs - small fragile grenades filled with an explosive powder that detonates with a flash on impact. It is unclear how many of these techniques and skills are actually Cathayan, as they could also have been taken from Nippon and Ind, or developed within the very Clan Eshin after copying the basics from humans. But the armies of the Dragon Emperor also include more esoteric forces. During the Chaos invasion of Cathay in year 1310, hordes of Chaos Warriors battled legions of terracotta automatons attempting to shore up the sundered Great Bastion with their own clay bodies, mutated War Mammoths gored and trampled whole regiments of one-horned Ogres, and in the skies above Daemon Princes duelled with bejewelled Gold Dragons. Some heroes ride ki-rin, unicorn-like beasts that ride storms and sport lightning manes. Records of travellers tell of the mystic brotherhoods of monks who can kill you with a touch of their hand, and the strange monkey warriors living high in the Mountains of Heaven. There are also statues of living stone, similar to Nehekharan Ushabti, in the shape of guardian stone dogs and flying crow-men. Cathayan Magic Magic has a long history among the humans of Cathay. In their tradition, Dark Magic and High Magic (known as yin and yang, respectively) are both held as sacred energies. Sometimes Cathayans use jet to craft fine pendants, bowls, rings or other trinkets that serve as protective amulets against all forms of hostile magic, excepting for those two and, for some reason, Ogre Gut Magic. The strongest school of magic appears to be Astromancy - Dragon Emperor Xen Huong had a coven of astromancers already circa -2750 IC, and they were so powerful that some credit them with the summoning of the warpstone meteor that crashed in the Ogre homelands and created the Great Maw. Celestial Magic is still important in the Empire of the Celestial Dragon, as the Tower of Ashshair kept watch for signs and portents of woe and threats from distant lands, and when it was attacked by Sayl the Faithless around 2509, his vanguard forces were crushed under a comet brought down by magical means. Another magical feat of this great empire was the overturning and sinking of the Dark Elf Black Ark Talon of Agony in 860 with a gigantic magical tidal wave off the coast of Cathay. Some, if not all, Cathayan wizards are known as Shugengan, and are said to have Dragon blood in their veins. They are able to hurl blasts of white fire and blizzards of murderous ice-shards against their foes. Clan Eshin also learnt from Cathayan sorcerers, blending what they already knew of the warp with the techniques used in Cathay to develop their own lore, one that serves to enhance their Clan’s power and mystique - the Lore of Stealth. These spells are designed to augment the stealth, speed, and strength of the Clan’s attack forces, and none are quite sure whether Clan Eshin Skaven’s legendary skills have ever been completely mundane. Clan Eshin guards the secrets of this art to ensure that none of the rival Clans learn the answer. For this reason, Eshin Sorcerers are mysterious, rare, and keep to themselves; they are well aware that the Grey Seers brook no competition from other Skaven spellcasters. Trivia * Cathay (/kæˈθeɪ/) is the Anglicised version of "Catai" and an alternative name for China in English. It originates from the word Khitan (Chinese: 契丹; pinyin: "Qìdān"), the name of a nomadic people who founded the Liao dynasty which ruled much of Northern China from 907 to 1125, and who later migrated west after they were overthrown by the Jurchens to form the Qara Khitai centred on today's Kyrgyzstan for another century thereafter. Originally, "Catai" was the name applied by Central and Western Asians and Europeans to northern China; the name was also used in Marco Polo's book on his travels in China (he referred to southern China as "Manji"). * In Chinese philosophy, yin and yang describes how opposite or contrary forces are actually complementary, interconnected, and interdependent in the natural world, and how they give rise to each other as they interrelate to one another. This duality lies at the origins of many branches of classical Chinese science and philosophy, as well as being a primary guideline of traditional Chinese medicine, and a central principle of different forms of Chinese martial arts and exercise. * Shugengan seem to be derived from the shugenja, the 7th century practitioners of the Japanese religion of Shugendō. They were sometimes known as yamabushi too. 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